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1927
16
The 704 deaths correspond to a death-rate of 11.04 per
1000 inhabitants.
The mortality was highest in the first quarter of the year
and lowest in the third quarter. In the first quarter 252 deaths
occurred corresponding to a death-rate of 15.8 per 1,000 per
annum.
In the other three quarters the numbers were 139, 127,
and 184 respectively, which numbers correspond to 8.7, 7.9 and
11.5 per 1,000 per annum respectively. But, although the mortality
was highest in the first quarter of the year, the average age at death
was also highest in that quarter. The explanation, of course,
lies in the fact that the more severe weather experienced in the
first quarter of the year was especially fatal to old people.
The death-rate is slightly higher than that of 1926 and
1925. We are apt sometimes to forget that in recent years the
age distribution of the population has considerably changed, and
the continuous downward trend of the death-rate has nearly, if
not absolutely come to an end. When the birth-rate was high we
had a large proportion of people living in the vigorous and healthy
age-periods. At the commencement of the decline in birth-rate
and for some years afterwards, we had conditions which were
particularly favourable to a low death-rate. These conditions
have now passed, and we are entering on a period when the age
constitution of the population has altered and we have a higher
proportion of old people and a lower proportion of young and
healthy people. These remarks are made not with the intention
of discouraging or depreciating the effects of sanitary work and
preventive medicine in the twentieth century. As a matter of
fact, many and great advances have been made, but certain
allowances should always be made for the altered age distribution
of the population. If we go back only twenty years, we are confronted
with certain facts which are really amazing. In spite of
the increased population, there were less deaths in the 3 years
1925, 1926 and 1927 than there were in 1905, 1906 and 1907.
In the earlier three years there were 2052 deaths compared with
2027 in the last three years. The average death-rate in 1905—
1907 was 13.25 and in 1925—1927, it was 10.67. In these two
Deriods although the age distribution of the population has
changed, the periods are fairly comparable as a whole, because
the lower proportion of young children living in 1925—1927 is
counterbalanced by the higher proportion of old people in the
later period. But if the death-rate of 1905—1907 had persisted
in 1925—1927, about 490 more deaths would have occurred in the
later period than did actually occur.
If we compare the average age at death in 1927 with that
of 1907, the contrast is still greater. In 1907, the average age